There are endless options for mounting and carrying gear on trucks these days. You can put things on a canopy, a roof rack, a hitch rack, a tall bed rack, short ones, or just throw stuff in the back.
My next adventure vehicle build is a Chevy Colorado LT RST that I picked up last year. It’s a good platform for day trips and longer but it needs accessories. Over the coming year, I’ll be kitting it out for short overland trips to camp, bike, fish and kayak. So what does that mean for the racks?
It will need to hold a Thule roof top tent and be able to store a bunch of gear underneath. I have a tri-fold tonneau on the back to keep the gear dry and out of sight. It will need to also mount other things like a gear basket, boat or ski racks in different locations and I don’t want to drill into the bed.
With all those requirements, there only a few products out there that fit. Billie Bars kept coming up as a good option.
This is a review of the Low Profile Bed Bars from Billie Bars on a 2020 Colorado LT RST.
The BillieBar Bed Bars
Bed bars are just like a roof rack you’d put on top of your vehicle but across the bed of the truck. They are smaller and lighter than a full rack that would go up the same height as the cab. There are pros and cons to this approach so it depends on how you want to mount everything. For my purposes, they fit perfect.
Billie Bars have a bracket that sits along the side of the bed and clamps under the top rail. Because the vertical part of the bracket is toward the outside, many types of tonneau covers can still fit between the brackets under the bars. My tri-fold tonneau can’t open fully but it’s easy to mount under the bars to keep all my stuff dry.
I like the clamp style bracket for a couple reasons. I can mount the brackets anywhere I want. The rooftop tent, gear basket, boat, bike and ski racks all fit best in different spots. Also, I don’t have to drill holes in the truck.
Tech Specs of the BillieBar Bed Racks
- 45 pounds
- $650 USD
- Bar: 3.15” wide x 1.57” tall
- Bar length depends on the truck
- 5″ brackets – $650 USD
- 8″ brackets – $680 USD
- Tonneau compatible (not all)
- 400 pounds dynamic weight rating, 800 pounds static
- 3 year warranty
- anodized aluminum bars
- stainless hardware
There is 3.5″ clearance under the bars with the 5″ brackets (6.5″ under the 8″ brackets). I got the 5″ brackets. All sides of the bars have t-slots (2 on the top and bottom) if you have any accessories that work with that mount. The 8″ mount gives enough space to roll up some rolling tonneau’s.
Installation
Once the bolts are through the bracket and clamps, installation is fairly quick. I can put put them on in about 20 minutes now.
Steps to install:
- Add all clamps to the brackets with the included bolts
- Place brackets and tighten with 14mm deep socket
- (Optional) Install tonneau
- Place bars in brackets
- Screw Torx screws into bars with included Torx wrench
Tips for installation
I just keep the loosened bolts on the brackets and slide the clamps up and down.
A 14mm deep socket and T40 Torx bit for a screwdriver is faster than the hand tools.
My tri-fold tonneau has clamps at the front and the back. Its easier to put the brackets on, then the tonneau, then the bars. But if I’m putting the tent on by myself, I slide the tonneau in last so I don’t break the tonneau with the tent.
When mounting, make sure the brackets aren’t sitting where the tonneau clamps sit.
Mounting
So what can you put on these bars? Anything. They’ll hold up to 400 pounds moving, 800 not moving, so they can hold quite a bit.
I usually have a roof top tent or gear basket on mine. The Colorado doesn’t have any rails or racks on the roof (still need to get some) so the bed bars are the only place I can mount anything. The bars are 1.57 inches thick so I had to get longer bolts for the Thule roof top tent.
Roof boxes or gear boxes fit well back here too.
(These photos are from the BillieBars website)
Many bike, ski, fishing rod, boat racks fit on the bars. With the thick bars some attachments might not go all the way around and need longer bolts.
With the racks sitting low behind the cab, there’s a riser mount for kayaks and sups if you need to clear the cab.
If you just need the front tipped up, there’s a LowPro Kayak Mount Kit.
Mounting awnings is a bit awkward on the bed bars because they’re lower than a roof rack. BilleBars has adjustable awning brackets so you can mount the awning up to 19.75″ higher than the bed rack.
There are also the Molle Panels that you can mount just about anything to.
Pros
There a lot of things I like about bed bars and BillieBars in particular.
Easy to install
With a few bolts and screws to tighten, the bars are easy to install by yourself in 20 to 30 min.
Strong
800 pounds static load limit is enough for a roof top tent and a couple people.
Won’t rust
Anodized aluminum won’t rust even if they get scratched.
Tonneau compatible
The shape of the bracket means many tonneau types can fit under the bars.
Lots of mounting options
Between BillieBar accessories and third party racks that would fit, roof top tents, gear boxes, bikes and baskets are easy to mount.
Lower than a full roof rack
With the bars sitting at bed level, rather than roof level, they’re easier to access and mount gear. The height keeps boxes and tents out of the wind as well.
Easy to store
With only 2 bars and 4 small brackets, these fit in the garage much easier than a full canopy or bed rack.
Torx screws
The Torx screws are harder to undo than some roberts or philips so they’re harder to pop off and run away with.
Cons
There’s not really anything bad about the BillieBars, just different. There are benefits to mounting things on the roof or higher on a bed rack.
Tonneau hard to open
Some tonneau’s can roll up under the BillieBars. My tri-fold can be installed under them but won’t open fully with them. If the bars are over the second panel, I can still open the first panel. Most of the time I’m just opening the tailgate to get my gear.
Big bars
The big cross bars are super strong and enable more mounting with the t-slots but they are thicker than most regular roof racks. I had to get longer bolts for my roof top tent. Not a big deal though.
Blocks visibility
The bars themselves don’t block much visbility through the back window but mounting anything to them does. Putting tents and boxes on the roof or tall bed rack lets you still see out the back. If you’re packing the box full of gear then that might block it anyways.
Less space underneath
Having a full height rack lets you fit more underneath it. The bed bars are just above the sides of the box, while a full rack will be roof height or more. If you want to fit tall gear or stacking gear under it, then the full height might be worth it.
Closer to the ground
Sometimes the point of having a tent on the top of a rack or canopy is to get it higher off the ground. BillieBars sit just above the bed rails.
Conclusion
BillieBars offer a strong, durable method to mount more on your truck without taking up a lot of space. They are a bit more expensive than a cheap set of roof racks but far cheaper than many canopy and full bed rack options. I like they take up hardly any space in the garage.
Mounting gear is easier since it’s down lower, shoulder height instead of above your head. It didn’t take long to mount the bars and a 130 pound roof top tent by myself. Trying to do that before with an SUV was a 2 person job and left your shoulders burning.
I’ve been impressed with the quality and beefiness of the brackets and bars. I’m going to be sad when they start to get scratched but it won’t affect the performance at all or start to rust. The metal brackets on the roof top tent barely made a mark.
Functional requirements aside, they look amazing on the Colorado and just make it easier to haul more to the trail.
Other Photos
